More temples and a floating village

Up at 05:30 for a chance to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and, as it happens, so were hundreds of others. We crossed the causeway and entered the grounds in total darkness, save for the flickering of tiny torches. There was almost a religious feel as the congregation vied for the best spots around the water to witness the rising of the sun and to record the mysterious event on their Nikons and Canons. Unfortunately the sun refused to play ball and stayed in bed; it got light okay but it was another half an hour before the sun made an appearance, by which time the disappointed faithful were heading back home for breakfast.
Banteay Srey was our next stop an hour's drive from Siem Reap. It's a small Hindu temple built from a pinkish stone covered in exquisite carvings. On the way back a short stop at the Land Mine Museum was a sobering experience showing one ex-child soldier's efforts to undo the damage done by successive wars.
Another temple (Pre Rup) got a quick visit before we stopped for lunch. Khmer Amok served in young coconut shells.
In the afternoon we headed out to Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia, but, being the dry season, it was a long drive to find it along a dusty, bumpy track to the first navigable point where we swapped transport to a boat piloted by a 15 year old captain and his assistant who must have been all of 10. The narrow waterway down to the lake took us past fishermen (one with a fag in his mouth despite being up to his neck in water), kids playing (and working), and houses towering above the water on bamboo stilts with gardens, ducks and chickens underneath in the village of Kampong Phluk.
The kids very cleverly managed the boat in the sometimes very narrow waterways, colliding with other vessels never a problem if you have a long pole and quick hands and feet to push them off. No one seemed to mind, we were greeted with smiles and waves along the way and a wonderful opportunity to see how the local fishing families make their living.
Grilled rice and bananas from a stall on the way home before tuk tukking out again for a final group meal in Pub Street. So ends our day in Siem Reap, tomorrow we head for Phnom Penh.

Temples, temples and more temples

It's Wednesday, it's temple time, pile in the minibus and we're off. First stop is Angkor Thom, not to be confused with Angkor Wat (plenty of time for that when we visit it this afternoon). Angkor Wat is not a temple but a walled city. We stop at the iconic South gate, then the Bayon temple, the Baphuon temple and the Terrace of the Elephants, then back in the bus and on to Ta Prohm, or the Tomb Raider temple as it is more commonly known. Bunthoen's favourite tourist question - "How did they build the temple under the roots?"
The morning's temples all duly accounted for we head over towards Angkor Wat for some lunch, which includes a beef & ant appetiser. Suitably refreshed we walk over to the big one, Angkor Wat. This is huge, magnificent and heaving with people.
In the evening it's off by ourselves by tuk tuk to find something to eat downtown. We wander up and down the exotically named Pub Street before settling on the upstairs terrace of Triangle for dinner for 2 and a bottle of Italian wine.

Into Cambodia

All up on time for our early start from Bangkok. The area around the hotel is empty and quiet, very different to last night. We make good time to the border and 2 hours later are sitting outside a 7-11 completing immigration forms. As we approach the border the road is lined with stalls piled high with wares for sale; lorries sit stationary in the outside lane queuing to make the crossing. We park and climb out of our Thai minibuses and watch as our luggage is piled into a wooden handcart and towed away by a young woman, will we see it again? We are crossing the border on foot - first a short walk to join the queue to leave Thailand and then another short walk and another queue this time to enter Cambodia. All went well and it didn't take as long as it has in the past. A 10 minute ride in a ramshackle shuttle bus, in which our luggage is already safely stowed, and we rendezvous with our Cambodian minibus at the Visitor Terminal. Half an hour later we stopped for lunch at what must be a popular restaurant. They had a plaque on the wall that recorded the appreciation of the 1st US Special Forces Group. We had spicy fried rice with chicken/pork and a beer (Kerstin's first ever), but it was a tough call between the 'water big' and the 'water smell' choices.
Finally we pull into Siem Reap and the Freedom Hotel. Our room for the next 3 nights is large and airy, clean and should do us fine. We get a couple of hours to relax before we are due to meet for dinner at 18:30.
We are all on time and climb aboard 2 tuk tuks for the ride downtown; it's a great way to travel on a warm evening. The restaurant is called AnnAdyA and is a project aimed at giving jobs in the tourist industry to youngsters from Siem Reap and the surrounding area. The meal is accompanied by a small cabaret of Cambodian music and dance.
After the meal we get a chance to wander through the streets, avoiding tuk tuks, cars and mopeds as we do so. Hundreds of bars & restaurants and a night market spilling through the streets. We enjoy the lovely atmosphere for a bit before taking a tuk tuk back to the hotel.

Farewell to our life of luxury

We said goodbye to the Shangri-La this morning and we'll miss their wonderful charm, courtesy and helpfulness. We'll be back.
On our way over to the Viengtai Hotel in our cab, we were disappointed to learn that there are limits to Thai hospitality, but we grinned and bore it!
The Viengtai may be a bit downmarket from the Shangi-La but all the essentials are there - clean, comfortable room, helpful staff and free wi-fi. A quick lunch and then we headed across to the Royal Palace for a nose around, so much bling! As we were leaving we saw the changing of the guard - a much more casual ceremony than that at Buck Palace.
Back to the Viengtai to meet our fellow travellers and Bunthoen, our Cambodian guide. Surprise, surprise we are the oldest (by some distance). A good mix of nationalities on this first leg - 3 Brits, 2 Aussies, 2 Canadians and 1 Swede.
Over the road for a first meal together and then we split up. We reconvene tomorrow for our departure at 06:30.
Kerstin and I took a stroll around the neighbourhood. The Shangri-La is clearly a better hotel but the Viengtai sits in much nicer surroundings. Young, loads of traders, music, street food and lots of atmosphere. All you could ask for on a warm night!

Luxury in Bangkok

We said goodbye to the train once it finally arrived in Bangkok. After a bit of difficulty trying to find a taxi prepared to do the journey to the hotel on the meter and not for a flat 200 baht, we reached the Shangri-La to discover that they had upgraded us to a Riverside Executive Suite at no extra charge. Very nice!
We took a quick wander up and down the road looking for something to eat and drink; the streets still full of hustle and bustle despite the late hour.
For Sunday we had 2 excursions booked and we were duly ready and waiting for the first at 07:30. We were collected and swept away by our guide and driver. It was only when we were racing out of the city, back to the River Kwai I believe, that Wanna, our guide got a phone call from her colleague telling her that the old dears she had picked up were not the Mr & Mrs Moore she was supposed to have. There followed some hasty discussions in Thai between Wanna, her colleague and the driver, we changed course and the trip was back on track. I don't know how much our eventual day differed from what we'd booked originally, but it turned out to be the best so far.
First port of call was the train market which sprawls across the local railway line. Five times a day, as the train comes through, the stall holders move back, the awnings are lifted and the people breathe in. The train passes and immediately everything is back in place and life goes on as if there had never been a train.
Thakha was next, a floating market and smallest of the 3 we were to see. A boat ride along the canals took us to a small family sugar plant in the jungle where granny fed dried palm fronds into the fire under the bamboo pots of boiling sugar and caramel and the kids also involved keeping things running.
Damnoensaduk was our next port of call; a bigger market but more commercial and less interesting. This was where we took another boat for a longer ride along the canals and then out into the river before dropping us off at Amphawa, the biggest floating market of all.
We had a brief look round the local temple at Amphawa before we finally sat down for a late lunch.
More food in the evening as we had booked a dinner cruise on the river. This left from the Anantara Hotel and pottered gently up the Chao Phraya River and back whilst we ate a 5 course Thai meal. Another delightful winter evening!

The Eastern and Oriental Express

Sorry about the delay, we somehow lost the first blogs we'd written about our journey on this amazing train, and with no Internet access until we arrived in Bangkok, this is now a slightly condensed version of the original.

We were met by the E&O staff at the hotel where our tour started last Thursday and after check in were taken to an upstairs lounge where we met our fellow travellers and where tea and coffee was served before departure. There were 86 of us making the journey from Singapore to Bangkok. Mainly British, but also Americans, Canadians, Germans, French and Dutch. And a whole lot of Swedish female travel agents, who spent most of their time flirting with the male staff on the train. Well, you know what the Swedes are like.....

Our compartment was compact, but very comfortable. Breakfast and afternoon tea is served in the compartment and lunch and dinner in one of the two restaurant cars. The meals were prepared by a French chef and was a mix of Asian and European delicacies. We seemed to stagger from one meal to the next, the only exercise in between being walking through the coaches (21 in all) to reach the restaurants or bars. The train runs on a single line one meter track, which contributes to it swaying quite considerably and like trying to walk through an aeroplane during severe turbulence at times! Or being on a ship in storm. However we always managed to get there in time to fill up again!

We had a couple of excursions from the train, the first one to Penang, where we went to Georgetown for a trishaw ride round the old town. The second excursion was far more interesting, a visit to the river Kwai, with a raft down river and a visit to the war museum and cemetery.

With lots of unplanned stops and a few breakdowns, we ended up nearly five hours late in Bangkok. No one complained though, we were all glad to be able to stay a bit longer on this amazing, rolling, five star hotel, where we were spoiled by the incredibly friendly staff, who managed to remember everyone's name when they greeted you in corridors or entering the restaurants and bars. We even had our own steward who was available 24 hours, we never saw them off duty and they seemed to just have access to tiny cupboards, where they popped in and out of, if you happened to meet them in the narrow corridors.